She will be loved
by prettylittlespoby13
Summary: Takes place back in season one after Alex breaks up with Spencer. What if Spencer decided to leave the party early and went for a little walk. Where does she end up? She probably didn't expect to end up on Toby Cavanaugh's porch.


**This one-shot takes place back in season one after Alex breaks up with Spencer. What if Spencer decided to leave the party early and went for a little walk. Where does she end up? She probably didn't expect to end up on Toby Cavanaugh's porch.**

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Spencer stood back and watched Alex walk away. At first, she wondered why he was upset with her. Someone else clearly sent in that application for him and it wasn't her. Alex chose not to believe her. He walked away without even looking back. Spencer sat down on the swing and sighed sadly. She probably should have seen this break up coming. Nothing in her world lasted forever. Spencer started to wonder who could have sent in that application. Then she got a text from -A to rub it in. She rolled her eyes and stuffed her phone back in her pocket. Of course -A was behind this. -A's not the only one to blame. If Spencer were any other guy, she wouldn't want to be with herself either.**  
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Spencer sat by herself for a good thirty minutes before one of her friends found her. Aria, who happened to be walking outside to make a phone call, spotted Spencer sitting alone on the swing. Instead of making her call, Aria turned off her phone and walked over to Spencer. Aria walked up to her and rubbed her shoulder.

"Hey, Spence, where've you been?"

Spencer sighed, "Out here, sitting, alone."

"Where's Alex?"

"He uh, he kind of left."

"Aw, why?"

"He has to get up early for work tomorrow, so I let him head home early."

"Didn't he give you a ride here? How are you getting home?" Aria asked.

Spencer stood up from the swing, "I'll probably just walk home."

"Spencer, you can't walk home, not when a murderer and a creepy stalker is walking around."

"My house is only a block away, so I'll be fine."

"Okay," Aria sighed. "Call me when you get home so I know you got there safely."

"Sure."

They hugged each other goodbye, and then Spencer left the party. On her way home, Spencer decided to take a detour and skip through Emily's neighborhood. It's a longer way to get home, but the fresh air helped clear her mind. Plus, she wasn't ready to go home just yet.

Mr. Lonely Toby Cavanaugh sat on his front porch steps messing with his ankle monitor. He just can't believe he was arrested, accused, and is now on house arrest for a murder he didn't commit. There were a ton of people in this town who could have killed Alison and they're looking at him? Toby would never kill anyone. Nobody seems to believe him. Not his classmates, Alison's friends, Emily, his own dad won't believe him. Life pretty much sucks for him right now. He could've been out and far away from Rosewood by now, but somebody turned him in. At first he thought Emily turned him in; then she told him she didn't. Turns out his own stepsister was the one who turned him in. Her way of "keeping him close."

Toby was startled by a twig snapping at the end of his driveway. He looked up and saw someone walking along his driveway. As he got a better look he recognized the person to be Spencer Hastings. What is she doing out so late? Then he remembered it was Saturday and there was a party at Hanna's place. Wait, isn't her house the other way? It takes twice as long to get to her house going this way. He was going to ignore her until he heard her sniffle. "Maybe she has a cold," he thought. Then she sniffled again. Oh no, she's crying. Why is she crying? Why does he care? He should just ignore her, pretend like he doesn't notice her, and get back to what he was doing. But for some reason, he hates to see her upset.

"Hey," he felt himself speak.

He's not really sure where his words were coming from. They kind of just slipped out of his mouth. He didn't even think about it, he just said it. Spencer looked up from the pebble she was kicking and sniffled again. She was surprised to see that Toby Cavanaugh was the one who said hi to her. Normally she would have yelled at him, but something inside her told her that he's okay.

"Hi."

She stopped at the end of his driveway. Toby adjusted his leg from the third step down to the second step.

"What are you doing here?" He asked. "Isn't there some party at Hanna's?"

She nodded, "Yeah, but I left early and decided to walk home."

"Getting to your house from Hanna's is only a block away. Going this way takes twice as long cause you cut through the whole town."

"I just decided to take the long way home alright!" she snapped.

"Alright," he said softly.

"I'm sorry," she sighed. "I just... It's just been a bad night."

He nodded, "Yeah I get it. I'm guessing tonight you sat in the dark somewhere alone and got death threats sent to you."

"Okay, so maybe my night wasn't as bad as yours, but that doesn't mean it wasn't horrible for me. As a matter of fact, I actually was sitting in the dark alone and I have gotten death threats before. Some of them from my own sister."

"Touché," was all Toby could say back.

Spencer sighed and walked up his driveway and stopped when she was standing right in front of him. Spencer looked at him for a long time before saying.

"You didn't kill Alison. You saw her that night, but you didn't kill her."

Toby was shocked to hear her say that. Just yesterday Spencer was sure he killed her. Now, she's standing here saying that he didn't kill Alison. Toby knows that he didn't kill her. Hearing somebody else say that makes him feel better.

"How do you know?" He asked.

She shrugged, "I don't. Normally when somebody hurts my friends I feel this over protectiveness and feel the need to take anyone down who dares to hurt them. Funny thing is, I'm not getting that feeling towards you right now."

"Oh, well, it's nice to know somebody believes me. May I ask what changed your mind?"

She sat down right next to him on the step. He looked at her and watched her think. Spencer twisted her bottom lip.

"I don't know," she admitted. "Maybe I'm being hit with voice of reason or logic. Who knows? Every time I think I know something, I get the rug pulled out from under me and I end up on my ass. Funny thing is I've had the rug pulled out from under me several times tonight. Tonight I fell on my ass really hard."

"Who pulled the rug this time?"

Once again, she sighed, "Me. I'm usually the one pulling the rug out from under me. It's like I burn everything I touch. I burnt my family, my friends, my relationship." She paused and took a look around. "Your garage."

Toby couldn't help, but chuckle at that.

"I'm pretty sure a firecracker is what burnt my garage."

"How do you think it got there? Fireworks don't have legs; they can't just walk here, light themselves up, and blow up. There has to be an operator. I was the operator of burning that just like I'm the operator of burning my own life."

"No, Alison was the operator of that, and you did not burn your own life."

"Yes, I did. Can't you see the flames flaring off around me? My world is burning down around me as we speak."

Toby smiled, "The only flame I see is you trying to do the best you can to find out what happened to your friend while protecting your friends that are alive. I see the flame of a girl trying hard to find a place in this world just like everybody else. That flame I see in you isn't destruction, it's determination."

"Wow," she said. "If this wasn't a serious moment I would be asking you what book you got that from."

Toby laughed and so did she.

"May I ask why you were crying tonight?"

Spencer looked embarrassed. She tried to pull it off with a shy smile.

"Oh, no, I wasn't crying. It's kind of chilly out and the cold makes my eyes water."

Toby could tell she was lying. He's not sure why, but for some reason he can see right through her lies. Earlier today he probably would have bought that, but now he's taken the time to actually talk to her.

"Nice try, Pinocchio, now, what's really going on?"

Spencer didn't know why, but she felt herself opening up to him.

"Alex broke up with me tonight."

Toby was shocked. He saw them earlier today and they looked happy. He saw them at Homecoming and they seemed to be doing just fine. They haven't even been together for three weeks and he already broke up with her? Toby didn't know why he cared.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Thanks."

"Why did he break up with you?"

She sighed, "We're just two different people I guess. I don't know, I probably should have seen it coming. People like me don't stay in relationships for too long. Nothing in my life lasts very long. I'm toxic and send everyone who comes near me away."

"Spencer, that's not true."

"Yes, it is. I'm way too complicated for anyone to have a relationship with."

"Hey, any guy would be lucky to have you. You're smart, funny, sarcastic, pretty, and so many other things. Do you know how hard it is to find a girl with all those amazing characteristics?"

"I'm pretty," she smiled at him saying that.

"No, you're beautiful."

Spencer smiled and blushed a little.

"Did uh... Did you learn how to charm a girl while you were away?" she teased.

He laughed, "No, but I was taught by my mom before she died how to be a decent human being."

"Alright," she smiled. "Good answer."

"And to always tell the truth," he added.

"Yeah, now you're just messing with me," she teased.

Once again they laughed. Spencer checked her watch and saw that it's after midnight.

"Well, I better get home. Thanks for the pep talk."

He smiled, "Anytime."

Spencer leaned over and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. Toby hoped that she didn't notice him blush when she did so. He wondered if she knew that she just kissed the spot where Jenna slapped him just minutes before she showed up. It no longer stings.

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight," he said.

She got up from her spot on the step and started walking down his drive. She was halfway down his drive when she realized that she had something else to say. She turned back around.

"By the way, you should know that Emily really wasn't the one who turned you in. She didn't even tell us where you were."

"I know."

"What changed your mind?" She asked.

He smiled and shrugged, "I think I may have been hit by voice of reason or logic."

Spencer smiled and started walking again. Once again she was stopped, this time by him.

"By the way," he started. "Alex is an idiot and isn't worth your time if he's not willing to work out the differences you two might have. You deserve better."

"Thank you," she smiled. "Night."

She turned away and continued walking home.

"Night," he whispered not even loud enough for her to hear.

Toby sat back on his porch steps watching her walk away. He feels slightly happier than he felt before she showed up. Who knew talking to Spencer Hastings could make him feel better? Spencer was also glad that she stopped to talk to Toby tonight. Who knew Toby Cavanaugh could make her feel better? Little did they know that this is only the beginning of their many heartfelt conversations.

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**Okay, the ending wasn't too great, but other than that, I hope you all liked it. This idea has been running **around** my head for some time now, so I just had to write it. Review and tell me what you thought.**


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